Tuesday Morning QB (CFL Week 18)
The playoffs are only weeks away with fewer and fewer spots for teams to try to get as even more were clinched this week.
As the season moves on towards the last few weeks teams are all trying to play playoff football right now.
They need to bring that intensity in every game because every team is trying to get used to that new level of play.
If they get caught off guard in the playoffs it could mean the difference between moving on and ending their season.
Teams are always looking or ways to stay up and play with that intensity heading into the playoffs.
This week two teams doing a very different job of that faced off in what amounted to a potential sign of what was to come.
The Calgary Stampeders are the best team in the CFL and they have been the best team in the CFL for years.
It is a struggle just to pick out a time when they haven’t been Grey Cup favourites as their regular seasons usually lead to deep runs.
Unlike the other years though the Stamps are facing a strange end to their season as they have been struggling.
Usually, they are just as strong at the end of the season as they have been at the start of the season but things have been going south.
In Week 17 the Stamps took on one of the worst teams in the league heading to Montreal to face the Alouettes.
They have struggled in Montreal before and for another year they struggled against a team that has been unable to compete with anyone.
It wasn’t supposed to be a competition but the Als somehow were able to shut down Bo Levi Mitchell and the offence.
The Stamps escaped with a win but it wasn’t supposed to be that close and they escaped largely because of a bad Alouettes offence that only managed 6 points.
Still, it wasn’t a major surprise as they struggled playing Montreal before and they would get back to the task at hand in Week 18.
That is when they took on one of the hottest teams in the league as the BC Lions went to Calgary trying to get closer to their playoff spot.
The Lions were in the midst of a run towards the playoffs as they tried to avoid the crossover and take a western playoff spot.
To do that they would need to win-out or risk being out of the playoffs altogether as the Edmonton Eskimos and Winnipeg Blue Bombers were I the fight as well.
The Lions had been playing great football but they were about to face the best team in the league in the hopes that they could get an essential two points for that battle.
Beating the Stamps was going to be tough, or at least that is what everyone thought before the game began.
Throughout the game, the Lions looked like the better team as they were able to do exactly what the Alouettes were able to do.
Mitchell struggled throughout the game showing flashes of why is a constant MOP candidate but also not being able to find his targets on every play.
Mitchell managed 215 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in what is not his best game of the season.
After two straight weeks the Stampeders are looking ahead to the last few weeks they are trying to get out of the funk they find themselves in right now.
The Stamps are in need of a boost as they can’t seem to do much right now and if that leaks into the playoffs they might be disappointed.
Meanwhile, the Lions are on a streak that has helped them find their way to a playoff spot, at least for now.
They will have to continue to play well and continue to add up wins as they try to catch up to Winnipeg and stave off Edmonton.
That win by the Lions could be big for this postseason but nobody really knows what the answer is for the major question.
Where the Stamps just that bad or were the Lions just that good?
The answer to that question could be key in the playoffs and for the next few weeks as BC looks to carry momentum into the playoffs and the Stamps try to avoid a slump.
Fourth Down
State of Contact
This past weekend the NFL hosted one of their annual games in London but a lesser known event was happening at the same time. As the NFL prepared for their game they joined the Australian Football League, World Rugby and the CFL in a conference to talk about the state of contact sports throughout the world. The Collision Sports Conference was meant to bring together medical professionals in sports to share knowledge on the injuries that have been taking focus for a number of years. All of the leagues have dealt with concussion issues and all brought professionals together in an attempt to find solutions about prevention and treatment for the biggest issue facing contact sports today.
A New Look
With a new jersey supplier coming in 2019 the Montreal Alouettes seem to be taking advantage by rebranding. After a season full of celebrating their history with new logos each month highlighted the decades of the team 2019 might look a bit different. This week the Alouettes teased what looked like a new jersey and announced that something will be happening in February. The jerseys look closer to the ones that the Als wore in the 1970s with a completely blue jersey although adding red lettering and a red stripe on the arm. For the Als it could be the beginning of a new era with Johnny Manziel likely back to lead the team and try to get them back to the playoffs in what could be new threads.
The Sport Addiction 